Our Duet
by Yukari Saiga
Summary: First comes the betrayal. Then comes the nightmares. Then comes the tears. This duet was never meant to be played solo... Ryotaro/Len, yaoi.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LA CORDA D'ORO.  
**

Um.... I shouldn't be writing this right now and leave Love Triangle hanging. But.... this has been plaguing my mind for days! And I didn't know what title to give this... and so.... O_O

**WARNING: Contains yaoi.  
**

PAIRINGS: Ryotaro/Len

****

PROLOGUE  


He was playing Ave Maria. He never grew tired of that song, the tune that spun in his mind and refused to go away. Not that he minded......

His outer appearance never showed it, but he never felt more at peace with the world than at that very moment. Not only because of the song, but because as the minutes ticked by on the wall clock at the far corner of the practice room, he knew his special someone was heading towards him. He and Kahoko had a date tonight.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kahoko sighed. "This is not working....." she muttered to herself. Her relationship with Len was..... complicated. Yes, she knew he loved her.... but she wasn't quite sure what _her own _feelings were...... She just knew it wasn't going to work out. And she couldn't help but admit that she had a little crush on Aoi, who was similar to Len in many ways except for his attitude. If given a choice between Len and Aoi, Kahoko just _knew _that she would pick to hang out with Aoi without a second thought. Len was nice to be with, but he was.... quiet. And the fact that his attitude contrasts deeply with her own just proves that they were not meant to be together. She never believed that opposites attract.

For Len's sake, and her own, she knew she had to break it off. For her happiness, and for Len's. He may be happy now, but she was sure that unless she broke it off, there wouldn't be a happy ending for either of them. Or at least that was what she kept telling herself.

She pondered over how she would break the news as she headed to the practice rooms. She didn't want to hurt Len, but she had a feeling that whatever she does would leave him heartbroken. "Not for long, hopefully..." she thought.

Just then, she spotted a speck of blonde hair around the corner, which appeared to be a certain Aoi Kaji leaning against the wall. She blushed a little before she could help herself. Yeah, she definitely didn't have feelings for Len anymore.

"Hey Kahoko," he greeted her with a charming smile that practically melted her legs. Little did she realise that the spot he was occupying was next to the practice room her soon to be ex-boyfriend was using. She didn't realise that _that _particular room had a door that could never be shut properly, and was always left slightly ajar whether it was vacant or occupied. And from the sequence of events that were to follow, she unknowingly shattered Len's heart into a thousand pieces....

*~*~*~*~*~*

Read and review! First chapter will be out in an hour tops ^_^


	2. Chapter 1: The Betrayal

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN LA CORDA D'ORO.**

I assume if you're reading this, you read the prologue already. So I guess I don't have to post any warnings or anything ^_^

***EDIT***** thanks to pongcan**** for correcting me on how Ryotaro calls Len ^_^. And for being my first reviewer! Just wanna explain that Ryotaro calls Len "Tsukimori" but when he thinks about him he refers to him as Len. (partly for my own convenience =_=") I basically just re-uploaded the chapter (long story) with only changes to how Ryotaro calls Len. After this I plan to write the next chapter *yay!* And I also forgot to mention, this should happen when they are seniors I guess, so Len and Ryotaro's relationship is closer. Possibly AU.**

**  
CHAPTER 1: THE BETRAYAL  
**

Len was taking a short break while waiting for Kahoko. "She should be here any minute now...."

And true enough, he heard her voice outside the door. He chose this particular practice room just so that he he could hear Kahoko arriving. She seemed to be talking to..... Aoi Kaji? His sensitive ears picked up traces of their conversation.

"....free tonight? ......go out?"

"....yes..... I cancelled my plans............... breaking up with Len...."

He couldn't believe what he heard. Kahoko was _breaking up _with him?! Why?! He prayed that his ears heard wrongly, but he knew that was pretty much unlikely. Which led him to the same question. Why was Kahoko breaking up with him? Or was she _cheating_ on him?

At that thought, his mind suddenly turned blank. His body on autopilot, he mechanically reached a hand inside his bag for a piece of paper and a blue ornate pen given to him by Kahoko. He scribbled a note, then packed up his belongings, heading to the window. The window was big enough for him to climb through, and as the room was on the ground floor, there wasn't any immediate danger of him falling and breaking a few limbs. Though even if it happened, he wouldn't have noticed it. Taking extra care of his violin case, he swung his body over the windowsill and dropped with a soft thump on the ground. He set out along the path towards the forest behind Seiso Academy.

On the table lied a note written on with a hurried, yet elegant scrawl.

_Kahoko,  
_

_I really liked you. I guess we were just never meant to be with each other. _

_I don't hate you, but let's keep our distance from now on.  
_

_Tsukimori.  
_

On the floor, lay a blue ornate pen, where it had been dropped after being used for the last time.

*~*~*~*~*~*

At 6.00 p.m., Ryotaro who was the newly appointed captain of the soccer team decided they've had enough training for the day. Everyone headed to the showers next to the soccer field, some clapping his back along the way.

After a much needed shower, Ryotaro changed back to his General Section uniform, waving to the others as he headed back towards the main academy building. He saw Len walking along the path next to the field. What a rare sight. He never saw Len around these areas, so why was he  
in this part of the academy now?

"Oi, Tsukimori!" he called out. The other just walked on, not hearing him. Where was he going?

*~*~*~*~*~*

Before he realised it, he was in a clearing inside the forest. He remembered this clearing. During his first year, he spent most of his time here, away from people in general. He enjoyed the peace and the quiet, not having to listen to people praise his music with their sugar-coated lies and talk about him as though they knew him better than himself.

He took out his bow and violin from its case and strode to the center of the clearing. He slowly raised his bow and rested it on the A string, the fingers of his left hand automatically curving as they held the violin on his shoulder. His eyes slowly slid shut as he played the first note, bringing back a whirlwind of memories back into his head, those precious but painful memories that were stored in the dark corner of his mind. His fingers remembered the notes precisely, despite not having played the song for years. He relived the beautiful tune he thought he would've never played again.

And so he played as the sun slowly set far across the horizon, the haunting melody radiating sadness and despair, the only feelings that had a place in his heart for the moment. A single tear slid from his closed eyelid, quickly washed away as the sky turned grey and cried along with him.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ryotaro swore. The sky was darkening, it was going to rain. Where was Len going? And why was he following him anyway? But he already knew the answer. He was worried. He cared about Len, who didn't care about anything, even himself, except for his violin and Kahoko. He sighed. Kahoko was like a sister to him, but he was ashamed to admit that at times, he hated her.

He was so deeply absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realise that he had reached a clearing in the forest, until he heard the sound of a violin. His eyes focused on the figure in the middle, his eyes closed and his hands moving naturally. He heard the sadness of his heart, the sorrow radiating from him, and knew that he was seeing another side of Len, the side behind the cool and calm demeanour, the broken-hearted soul plagued by loneliness and hurt that he so carefully kept in check under that expressionless mask he usually wore. But not today. His face was so filled with misery, it was painful to see him in such a state.

As the song progressed, the rain started to fall, but not before his eyes saw the tear the fell from Len's eyes. It hurt Ryotaro to see Len like that, he seemed so weak and fragile.

He opened the umbrella he'd brought with him and walked to stand in front of Len, bringing the umbrella up over their heads, making sure to cover Len's violin in particular. He knew how much Len loved his violin. The umbrella was barely big enough to cover both of them. Not that it mattered anyway, both of them were already slightly drenched from the rain.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Len opened his eyes. One minute, the rain was striking his body, then all of a sudden it was gone, he didn't feel the raindrops hitting him in the downpour. He looked up and stared at Ryotaro. Ryotaro stared back. Len's eyes were clearly watery, and not from the rain. Mutely, Ryotaro reached a hand out into the rain and grabbed Len's violin case. He passed it to Len who slowly placed his violin back into its case, neither of them saying a word. With his violin case in his hand, Len looked back into Ryotaro's eyes.

"What happened?" Ryotaro asked, breaking the heavy silence between them.

"I... broke up with Kahoko," Len replied, quietly. Ryotaro knew he was lying.

"She severed the relationship," Ryotaro stated, matter of factly, but with no sarcasm in his voice. Len nodded slowly, looking away for a moment, before re-establishing eye contact with Ryotaro. There was defiance in his eyes as he replied, "She's with Kaji-kun right now," though he could hear the slight tremble in his voice. Realization lit his eyes as Ryotaro finally understood what happened. Kahoko cheated on Len.

Len felt horrible. Not only because of Kahoko dumping him, but for laying out his feelings bare for Ryotaro to see. Ryotaro had been his rival, and even though they never spoke about this out loud, they were closer now. He could actually call Ryotaro his friend, since he had so few of them, his anti-social attitude mostly drawing others away from him.

Ryotaro noticed a shiver pass through Len's body, and instinctually wrapped his arm around Len, pulling him close to his body warmth. Len just stood there, speechless as Ryotaro hugged him. Was Ryotaro asking him to.... cry on his shoulder? "You're shivering," he said, as though sensing the question in Len's mind. Upon hearing that, Len's body relaxed visibly, leaning into Ryotaro's embrace. It felt good to be held by someone after being alone for so many years. With Ryotaro's arm around his waist, he allowed his head to slump onto Ryotaro's shoulder. They stood like that, neither moving for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few minutes. Ryotaro was the first to pull away.

" Come on," Ryotaro said suddenly, while pulling his wrist as they walked through the rain back to the main building, "if we stay drenched like this we'll both end up sick." They walked out and turned left, walking along the empty pavements. Len had no choice but to follow, his wrist in the vice-like grip of Ryotaro's larger hand. After walking for about 15 minutes, Len tugged his wrist back slightly, causing Ryotaro to turn around and look at him questioning. Making sure his calm mask was in place, he enquired in a steady tone, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to my house," he answered, not waiting for Len's reply as he continued leading him through the rain-soaked streets.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Read and review! This story will probably progress faster than Love Triangle, unfortunately.... I'll try to update soon!


	3. Chapter 2: The Memories

Thanks to **pongcan ***hugs* (I would've dedicated this chapter to you, but you deserve something fluffier! O_O hehe, the next chapter would be dedicated to you ^_^ hope you don't mind...) and xxxHellStrifexxx (who wouldn't be reading this anyway.... *sticks tongue out*) for reviewing! Yes, reviews mean a lot to me.

**NOTES: Let's pretend that none of us knows Ryotaro's background and that he lives alone.**

**CHAPTER 2: THE MEMORIES  
**

Len stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off then changed into the oversized t-shirt and pants loaned to him by Ryotaro. While doing so, he thought back to when they just reached Ryotaro's apartment.

***flashback*  
**

Ryotaro finally released Len's hand as he searched for his keys in his pocket. He unlocked the door and stepped aside to let Len pass through first. However, Len didn't move an inch. Ryotaro raised an eyebrow.

"Why are we here?" Len eventually asked.

"We are here because _my _house is closer to the school than _yours. _And we both need a warm shower," Ryotaro replied blandly. Now he stepped into his apartment, confident that Len would follow him in. And sure enough, he heard him step in and shut the door softly.

"You can take a shower first while I call for takeout; hope you don't mind Chinese," he said. Now it was Len's turn to raise an eyebrow. "It's eight already, by the time you reach home it would be 10 at least," was Ryotaro's explanation. "You can use the bathroom in my room," he continued, gesturing to one of the doors in the small apartment. Len nodded and walked there, leaving his violin case next to one of the couches in the living room. He hated to admit it, but he was curious as to how Ryotaro's room looked like. He doubted he was anything like his; a person like Ryotaro wouldn't have a bare room with just a bed, a study table, a wardrobe and a violin stand.

He stood by the door for a few seconds before pushing it open slowly. It gave a loud squeak which slightly startled him, causing him to jerk backwards. And bump into a broad chest behind him. He turned around, a slight blush colouring his cheeks as he realised that Ryotaro had been behind him all this while and saw his reaction. Ryotaro chuckled softly, stepping backwards to give him some space.

"It's not funny," Len said coolly, but his blushing face did nothing to disguise the discomfort and embarrassment that he felt.

"Of course," Ryotaro chuckled some more, raising his hands in defence at the indignant stare given to him by his shorter schoolmate. "I just came to get you a pair of clothes you can change into while waiting for your clothes to dry," he said, trying to stifle his laughter. Never before had he seen Len at his moments of weakness, which were very rare indeed.

"Oh," Len said softly. His heart had skipped a beat just now, probably because of the slight scare given to him. "Yes, that's probably the reason," he thought, stepping into Ryotaro's room. His heart still felt empty, not because of Kahoko right now but because of the sense of déjà vu he was experiencing right now. Just the same as so many years ago....

"_Hey, what are you doing sitting here in the rain? It's freezing out here, come on, you can come to my house." A younger Len sitting under a tree felt his hand being pulled. He looked up and saw a boy about the same age as him. He had grey hair, part of it falling in front of his face as he bent down, his other hand holding an umbrella above their head. Len got up slowly, accepting the hand given to him by the nameless boy. Hand in hand, they walked to a house slightly further down the road._

__

"My parents aren't home, you can stay here for the night. The bathroom's on the third door to the left," the boy said cheerfully, leading Len to a bathroom. "You can borrow my clothes first, it looks like we're the same size!"

***end flashback*  
**

Len shook his head, trying to forget the memories. He thought about other things instead. In truth, he had noticed the looks Kahoko and Kaji gave each other whenever they suspected he wasn't looking. He pretended he didn't notice, hoping that he was just being paranoid. Hearing the truth affected him greatly, but right now he didn't care anymore. Kahoko was not the person he was thinking about. He stepped out of the bathroom and into Ryotaro's room, which he didn't have a chance to fully observe earlier. There was a medium-sized bed that was probably big enough for two people, a desk and a few cabinets containing music books and an upright piano by the side. With all the furniture occupying the room, there was barely enough space to walk around. Honestly though, he expected Ryotaro's room to be messier than this.

He saw Ryotaro leaning against the wall next to the open door, waiting for his turn to use the shower. Len muttered a quick "thank you" to Ryotaro who nodded. As he passed Ryotaro, the pianist turned to look at him. "Make yourself at home."

"Thanks," Len replied, louder than before. He walked to the couch and sat down, staring at the wall. He was in Ryotaro's apartment. Len felt awkward. He shifted uneasily on the couch. Just then, he heard a few raps on the door and went to open it.

"Here's your order for Chinese takeout. That will be 2100 yen please," said the teenager at the front door. Len reached into his wallet and took out 2500 yen. "Keep the change," Len said while accepting the plastic bag of food, which earned him a grateful nod and 'thanks' from the teenager. He shut the door and walked to what seemed to be the dining table, placing the bag carefully on top before returning to his initial position on the couch.

He noticed a few photo albums on the coffee table and scooted closer to take a look. The pictures seemed familiar. It seemed to be pictures taken at a music competition. He flipped the pages of the album curiously. There were many pictures of Ryotaro when he was much younger, most of them with the pianist trying to hide his face from the camera. Len understood the feeling, he hated being photographed too. Suddenly, he saw a picture of himself and all the pieces fell in place. It was one of his first few music competitions, in which he emerged first amongst the other contestants. He didn't remember meeting Ryotaro there, but then again, they haven't met each other then. He then saw a picture of a grey-haired boy, playing the piano on stage. His heart caught in his throat.

A hand touched his shoulder, hesitantly. Len quickly cleared his throat and fixed his emotionless mask before turning behind to look at Ryotaro.

"You okay?"

"Yeah..... By the way the food's arrived, it's on the table," Len said slowly, as he got up from the couch and headed to the table. Ryotaro stood behind him. Something was bothering Len, he was sure of it. But he didn't speak up about it, just worrying for the sake of his.... friend. He guessed he could call Len that, they've gotten much closer after the concours.

"How much?" Ryotaro asked.

"It's okay... consider it a 'thank you' for... helping me.... just now," Len replied, looking away. Ryotaro got the hint to drop the subject.

Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Neither knew what to say to the other. Ryotaro tried striking up a few conversations, but Len was just not sociable. He answered every question with only one or two-worded responses, unable to help his anti-social nature. He felt bad causing discomfort to Ryotaro who helped him earlier, but there was nothing he could do to change his own attitude.

Out of the blue, Ryotaro asked, "Do you want to stay over tonight?" in which he mentally scolded himself for saying it. Len nearly dropped his chopsticks in surprise. "Why?"

Ryotaro groaned internally. Again with the one-worded responses.

"It's already so late, you must as well sleep here for tonight. Why don't you call home to inform your parents or something?"

Len hesitated. Should he? Sure, it was awkward, but he didn't want to be alone tonight. "Sure," he replied. "Thanks," he added quickly.

"No problem. I can lend you my phone to call home," Ryotaro said.

"There's no need... there's no one at home right now," Len said. Ryotaro commented in his mind off-handedly that this was the longest sentence Len had uttered for that night.

"Oh. In that case, you can sleep in my bed while I take the couch," he replied.

"That's okay, I don't mind taking th-"

"Since you're my guest tonight, wouldn't it be improper for me to make you sleep on the couch?" Ryotaro interrupted. Len thought about it and decided that Ryotaro was right, albeit a little grudgingly. He himself would've done the same thing.

"Tha-"

"And enough with the thanks. Sometimes Tsukimori, you're too polite for your own good," Ryotaro joked, which earned him a sour look from Len.

"Unlike some people..." Len muttered softly, though loud enough to be heard by Ryotaro who just laughed. Len did a mental double-take. It was supposed to be an insult!

"Good night Tsukimori," Ryotaro said.

"Good night, Tsuchiura. And.... I just want to say.... thanks, for everything," Len said, closing the bedroom door behind him to hide his embarrassment.

"Anytime, Tsuki – Len...." Ryotaro whispered softly to no one in particular.

*~*~*~*~*~*

And now, I won't be posting till next week cos technically, my exams aren't over yet. Sigh.....  
But this story will probably be finished by at the most, next month hopefully.

**Read and review!**


	4. Chapter 3: The Dreams

As always, thank you for the wonderful reviews, and xie... thanks for reading even though you haven't watch the anime.... As promised, I dedicate this chapter and all of its fluffiness to **pongcan** ^_^. Thanks for your support!

*~*~*~*~*~*

**CHAPTER 3: THE DREAMS**

_"Tsukimori-kun, you wrote this? Segoi...." _

__

"It's not finished yet..."

"I know. Once you're done, can you play it for me to listen?"

"Why?"

"Please? I'm sure it sounds great! I wish I was as good as you. Don't worry, I'll try my best to catch up with you! Then I........" His next words were drowned out by the sound of a horn outside the house, but Len understood what he said. He looked out of the window somewhat sadly. It was so late already?

"....Promise?"

"Promise!" He started to walk out, but just short of the door, he looked over his shoulder.

_".....From now on, can I call you.... Len?" A brief lapse of time passed where neither moved. A silent nod, rewarded with a relieved grin; the weight of loneliness came crashing down onto Len yet again as he left, leaving Len to bear with the eerie silence of his own home...._

_*~*~*~*~*~* _

Len slowly opened his eyes. It took him a few moments to take in his surroundings, to remember all that happened yesterday. He shut his eyes instantly, trying to block out the thoughts that kept occurring in his mind. He glanced at the open window in the room and noted that it was probably past midnight by now. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table proved him right. It was 12:48 a.m. He turned onto his side and tried to sleep, but his eyes were wide open, staring at the wall facing the bed. He didn't want to go back to sleep, to relive his memories in his dreams, only to wake up to harsh and brutal reality. However, as much as he tried to stay awake, he was just too exhausted from the previous day's events. Eventually, his eyelids started to slide shut as sleep overcame him.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ryotaro was observing Len from his position in the shadows just outside the door. The door was slightly ajar; Ryotaro, being the room's original occupant knew the trick to opening the door without it creaking, by lifting it up slightly as he opened it. Using the shadows to his advantage, he leaned against the part of the wall that offered the clearest view of the room's current occupant. However hard he tried, he couldn't get any sleep while sleeping on the couch, though it wasn't exactly the couch's fault. He just had a.... feeling – that's all....

"Right.... and pigs really do fly," voiced the sarcastic streak in his mind. Ryotaro scowled at himself. He refuse to think that he, Ryotaro Tsuchiura, was _slightly_ concerned (_or a little more than that_, he admitted begrudgingly) for his rival, (_rival turned friend_, added the annoying voice in his head) Len Tsukimori. Which didn't explain at all why he was out here spying at his rival (_turned friend! Said the annoying voice, in which he promptly told it to shut up_), who was vulnerably asleep. He saw Len stir a little and panicked, worrying that he was caught spying on him. How was he going to explain that? Oh you see, there's just this little crush I have towards you, and I decided to take advantage while you're in a vulnerable sta – Ryotaro mentally banged his head on the wall, and would have done so in real life as well if it didn't mean waking up his rival. So he admitted it. He had taken a slight liking towards Len; he didn't recall how it all started, it just did....

A voice snapped Ryotaro out of his musings. It was... Len's? Again, blind panic overtook him, before his keen eyes picked up the still form on his bed. Len talked in his sleep?

"Pr- promise?" he heard Len mutter softly. If that didn't shock Ryotaro, Len's lips slightly curving upwards certainly did. As far as he recalled, Len _never _smiled. Which was a shame, because he looked so different when he was smiling. He looked more innocent and carefree (_and cuter, said the voice_), in contrast with the serious, mature facade he put on day after day. Len turned to face the wall, his back towards the door and Ryotaro. He shifted under the covers restlessly, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep.

Even when Len fell back asleep, Ryotaro didn't move, still standing in the shadows outside the room, a silent and unseen guardian watching over Len.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_"Len!!! Is it finished yet? Come on... it's been half a year already!"_

__

"It's finished, but... it's incomplete," was the answer given.

"Aww.... Len, you know I hate it when you speak in riddles!"

A slight smile. "I know." Followed by more whining and groaning from the grey-haired boy.

"But seriously, why isn't it done? Let me hear you play already!"

_He turned around, his back facing the boy as he stared at the hand-written manuscript on his violin stand. His expression changed to one of sadness. "I don't know," he whispered softly. I'm so sorry, I really don't know._

_*~*~*~*~*~*_

_A smile graced his lips. He was happy. He could finally make him happy._

_He waited by the door, anxious for his arrival. Finally after waiting for what seemed like hours, the doorbell rang. He immediately had his hand on the door handle and twisted it so hard he might've wrenched it out completely. He couldn't resist smiling broadly upon setting his eyes on his best friend, which was very unlike him. The other had his usual grin on. Before the other could say a word, Len blurted out, "It's done!" There was a moment of silence, in which Len started to be lost in the deep blue colour of the other's eyes. He blushed ever so slightly when he realised that he was staring. Then a pair of hands wrapped around him, swinging him around and nearly lifting him off the ground because of his slight weight, a voice shouting directly into his ear._

"_That's great Len! You managed to finish it, I'm so happy for you!" Len who was being swung around like a rag doll didn't mind a bit, though he did get dizzy after a while. Once the other realised this, he hastily set Len down on the floor again, before taking hold of his hand and running up the stairs like he owned the place. Well, he did go to Len's house often enough that it could be considered that he lived there._

_They charged into Len's room (or to be accurate, one charged while the other flailed for his balance), in which the oldest of the two plopped down on to the bed and motioned to Len with his finger._

"_Play. Now. PLEASE!!!" Len hid a grin behind his hand as he went to his violin stand, his violin ready on the desk. He had practiced the song again and again till it was flawless. He brought the violin to rest on his shoulder underneath his chin, and slowly began to play._

_His body swayed as he played the piece he composed, the notes resounding around the room. It started soft, and became louder as he approached the main melody. He closed his eyes, and before they were completely shut, he saw that the other had his eyes closed as well. Len gave his best while playing the piece, pushing his limits to bring happiness to the one that taught him the meaning of friendship, of life. And of love. His fingers found the perfect pitch for every single note with practised ease. Everything was flawless, as always. Though, where the rest of his performances always lacked a certain something, the piece he was playing was perfect, filled to the brim with emotion. It only lacked the presence of a huge audience to applaud him. But Len only wanted to hear it from one person._

_As he swept his bow across the last note, signifying the end of the song, he opened his eyes and looked into deep pools of blue, only inches away from his face. He lowered his violin slowly and was about to speak up when the other moved forward, closing the distance between them. Their lips touched tentatively, gently, before pulling a hair's-breadth apart. _

"_Len.... is this okay?" As he spoke, his lips brushed against Len's, sending electric charges down his spine. Len shuddered at the feeling._

"_Yes," he replied softly, before his mouth was sealed with another gentle kiss. The elder of the two pulled apart before they could deepen the kiss._

"_Sorry, i__t's late. I've got to go now. See you tomorrow?"_

_A smile followed by a flustered blush. "Okay."_

_He didn't get the applause from the one person whom meant most to him, but he got his first kiss. And that definitely made up for it._

_*~*~*~*~*~*_

AN: I was freaking out when I wrote the kissing scene. Wee~ my first kissing scene! I'll start on the next chapter soon, but I might not update for the next few weeks cuz I'm going on vacation... So maybe this will be finished in December instead....

**Reviews are loved.**


	5. Chapter 4: The Nightmares

**CHAPTER 4: THE NIGHTMARES**

_Since then, the two of them started going out. Even at the tender age of 12 and 13 respectively, they were learning more about each other and growing closer as the days passed by. _

"_Len… hey… what's that in your mouth?"_

"_It's candy."_

"_Can I have one?" _

"…_Sorry, there's none left. I'll give you mine." Len stepped closer to the other boy and tiptoed so that they could see eye to eye. Having not strike puberty, Len was still a little shorter compared to the elder of the two, thus explaining his need to tiptoe. Gently, he merged their lips together in a kiss and used the tip of his tongue to push the sweet he was sucking on into the other's mouth, tongue swiveling around the warm and moist cavern. It was an innocent gesture from Len, though had they both been older it would have led to other… questionable actions. But as such were their inexperience in love and dating, they broke the kiss before it became a mind-blowing makeout session, the other boy managing a last swipe of his tongue over Len's lips before they separated. However, despite their inexperience, both of them definitely felt the effects of their chaste kiss, breathing heavily and having a slight tint to their cheeks, Len's more evident than the other's; hormones know not age or gender._

_As they caught their breath, the other spoke up as the sweet melted completely in his mouth. "I didn't know you had a thing for strawberry candy." Len blushed and looked away in embarrassment._

"_Strawberry's my… favorite flavour," he admitted shyly. He knew that as a male he would get laughed at by his peers had they known this particular secret of his. But this was his boyfriend. He wouldn't laugh, would he?_

_Before he could enquire, the other seized his lips in another brief kiss and pulled away ever so slightly such that even though their lips weren't connected, both of them felt the other's breath on his face. "You taste like strawberries," the other said with a grin. Len blushed and looked away. He did?_

"_It's okay," the other tilted Len's chin so that they were both staring into each other's eyes. "I like it," he continued, causing Len's face to heat up further._

"_Come on, it's getting late," Len muttered shyly, taking hold of the other's hand._

_They continued their walk home from school, hand in hand._

_*~*~*~*~*~*_

_April 24__th__. _

_Today was Len's 13__th__ birthday. He graciously accepted the birthday wishes from his parents, not showing much reaction towards it. After breakfast, he could be found sitting outside his house on the verandah, eyes trained on the road, noticing every slight sound and movement, from the leap of a cat up his neighbour's wall, to the sound of a car's engines, probably a few blocks away._

_And then he came._

_He saw the figure running along the pavements, holding a small stack of papers in front of him, with a basket of strawberries on top of it, thus covering most of his face. Not that it mattered to Len. Of course he knew who it was. It could've only been one person, the person he wanted so badly to see on the morning of his birthday._

"_Len!!! Happy birthday!!!!" he shouted from across the street. For the first time that day, Len let out a wide grin. "You were late!" Len replied, or rather shouted playfully back to his boyfriend, sticking his tongue out. From one of the windows inside the house, Len's parents looked on and shook their heads, smiling. They were really glad the two boys have met; they had no problems with them going out as long as Len was happy. Ever since that fateful meeting, Len's attitude had changed significantly. He didn't distance himself from people, including his family as much as he had when he was younger. And for that, his parents were thankful._

_His boyfriend crossed the street carefully, looking left and right and left again before crossing. He made it to the other side of the road. Standing in front of Len, his whole body twitchy with pent-up energy, lips stretched in a smile as far as they can, he bellowed out, "Happy Birthday LenNNN!!" before promptly dumping his whole load in Len's hand and pecking him on the lips. Len smiled. "Thank you." His taller boyfriend ruffled his hair affectionately. "I finished the score." At the confused look on Len's face, he just had to laugh. _

"_Remember? That composition you wrote a few months back? I composed a piano accompaniment so that I can accompany your playing! And there's a basket of strawberries there, it's for you too." _

"_Thanks!" Len said happily as he stepped forward to hug his boyfriend after putting his presents on the pavement. He was about to lean in for a kiss but the other suddenly jerked away. A slight frown marred his face for an instant, wondering what was the matter. His boyfriend stared into space for a few moments before nodding and slamming his fist onto his palm. "I forgot something! Give me a moment, please….."_

_And with that he started searching through the presents looking for…. something. He finally turned back to face Len, this time with a small velvet-lined box in his hand. "This is your real birthday present," he said with a wink. "Open it."_

_Len accepted the tiny gift and stared at it before opening the box. Inside, nestled in between the cloth padding was a necklace. The design was simple, a silver chain bearing a heart-shaped pendant with a treble-clef engraved on it. As he brought it closer to his eyes, he realized it was a locket. He gently popped open the flap to look inside. On one side of the locket was a picture of the two of them on one of their many outings. On the other, the words "K.U. x L.T." were engraved on the silver surface. He turned the locket around and noticed more engravings on the back of the locket. It read: "OUR ETERNAL LOVE". _

_He looked up to his boyfriend, who smiled. "Here, let me help you wear it." He took the locket and put it around Len's neck, fastening the hook at the back. Len slowly brought his fingers up to feel the locket. He stared up at his boyfriend, his voice betraying the tears that were slowly gathering up in his eyes. He rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes roughly. His boyfriend noticed and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't cry, Len," he said, wiping the tears off with the tip of his finger._

_Len was so touched by his gift. He hooked his arms around the other's neck and murmured "thank you" into his shirt._

_*~*~*~*~*~*_

_They were walking home from school again, just a week after Len's birthday. They were currently passing through a deserted area, the few shops on the road showing no signs of life. Nor did they see any other pedestrians on that particular road apart from themselves. It was a little creepy, but they both had decided to use this way as a shortcut back home that day._

_They were nearing the end of the road and approaching the junction. Opposite the junction it was no longer deserted, housing a few rows of shoplots and a shopping mall crowded with people despite it being a Friday afternoon. As they waited by the side of the road, waiting for the pedestrian crossing light to flash green, Len shifted slightly. The strap of his bag was digging into his shoulders, and it hurt. The homework has been piling on him since midterms were near. His boyfriend of course noticed his predicament. "Let's switch bags. I'll carry yours and you can carry mine. Mine's lighter anyway." Len didn't want to trouble his boyfriend, but his shoulder couldn't bear the load any longer. _

_Finally the light turned green, signaling that it was safe to cross the road. The two were the only ones crossing the road, that was pretty much devoid of cars anyway at that particular hour of the day. _

_They were somewhere in the middle of the road when it happened._

_Len saw everything right before his eyes in slow-motion, yet he couldn't force his limbs to move. He heard his boyfriend calling out his name, followed by the squealing of tyres as someone slammed on the break. "Look out!" A violent force knocked him off his feet as he fell sideways on the road. His head turned to the direction where the force came from._

_He saw a black car slam head-on into his boyfriend, standing where he was not more than a second ago._

"_KAORU!!"_

_*~*~*~*~*~*_

"KAORU!!" Len shot up from his bed, drenched in sweat, face damp with tears trailing down his face. It was just a dream. Yet the images he saw were so vivid. Like they were happening at that very moment. He pulled his knees up to himself as he tried to calm down and control his breathing.

"Tsukimori-san?"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ryotaro had not moved from his hiding spot for the duration of the whole night.

"_KAORU!"_

_He jerked his head towards the direction of his room. It was Len's voice. Even though he had never heard Len shout, it was clearly his voice._

"Le-.... Tsukimori-san?" Len didn't notice that Ryotaro had nearly called him by his first name, showing no indication whatsoever. His shoulders were trembling violently, tears running down his face. His eyes widened when he saw Ryotaro before turning abruptly so that it was hidden in the shadows.

"Go away."

Of course, Ryotaro wasn't so easily dissuaded. Despite that, he made sure to keep his distance as he entered the room. He saw Len's shoulders shaking, the violinist unsucessfully trying to stiffle his sobs.

*~*~*~*~*

He didn't know what to do. His instincts told him, _yelled _at him to hide his face, so he did. Not that it helped much.

"Go away," he heard himself saying, in a soft and icy voice. _No, Ryotaro! ......Stay.... please......._

Absorbed in his internal conflict, he did not notice that Ryotaro had inched closer until he felt the bed shift to accomodate another weight. Then, nothing. They just sat there in silence, neither moving, Len's muffled whimpers and laboured breathing the only thing to be heard.

And so, there they sat, Ryotaro staring at Len, Len staring out the window, but not really seeing anything.

_One needed consolation. One needed badly to console the one he loved._

Both did not, _could not_ budge an inch.

Seconds ticked by, minutes, then an hour.

And they were still there.

*~*~*~*~*

_One drowns in sorrow. A despair so deep, he fails to notice the small, but ever present ray of light that has been with him, all this while._

_One balances on an overhanging precipice. Taking the plunge will either heal or hurt the one he loved. Torn by indecision, he is unable to decide._

_Fate does not side against one just to spite him. _

_Of course not._

_Fate has nothing to do with this._

It isn't fate that binds these two together under unexpected circumstances.

It is_ love_.

This isn't a fairy tale story, where the prince and princess fall in love, and live happily ever after.

Fairy tales are for children.

Love is not always a bed of roses.

Love _hurts._

It hurts the mind, the heart, the soul.

_Love is cruel._

_*~*~*~*~*~*_

A/N: Hey, it's me. I apologise for updating so late, I had 3 quarters of this chapter done a month ago, but I couldn't find the will to finish it or post it, till now. Thanks for all the reviewers, you guys kept me going when all else failed. I also owe thanks to some classmates who would probably prefer to remain anonymous. Their actions gave me the final push I need to finish this chapter :) not like they'll be reading this anyway haha.....

Did I mention I'm really sorry for updating late? I admit, I usually update after long periods of time, especially when I run out of ideas. So updating would probably be slow.

Anyway, about the last part. Really cheesy stuff. I can't believe I wrote it. I think it's kinda weird, but I couldn't resist! And there is OOCness.... sigh...

I have a definite plot for this story. My problem is putting it all in words. (and isn't THAT always the problem? _)

For those of you who actually read my rambling..... well..... candy for you =)

R&R pleaseee.....


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